Mr. Saldana was cunning, and no one liked him. Nobody dared to do anything against him since they needed him to earn a profit, and he had something to blackmail them.However, if he was going to use the same tactic on Nolan, then he was terribly wrong.Nolan looked at Kevin and said, “Hydra Lake is a great location in Hewston. Since you have a dispute with the people over there, you should consider taking them for yourself, Mr. Washington.”Kevin fell silent.Their meeting ended half an hour later.Nolan came out of the restaurant, and Quincy was waiting for him in front of the door.After Nolan got into the car, he asked, “How is the Saldanas’ situation?”“They're pulling out of the business in Hewston. Mr. Saldana has gained a few million in profit there and is afraid of getting into trouble now.”After Quincy finished speaking, he asked, “Can we trust Mr. Washington, Mr. Goldmann?”Nolan loosened his tie and said, “It doesn't matter if he's trustworthy or not. The enemy's e
Ian closed both the doors and replied, “Build on interest?” He cocked his head and looked at Elaine. “There isn't a permanent interest in this world.”She did not say anything.He turned around to look at her and smiled. “Do you want to stay back and help me to clean up the mess, Ms. Xavier?”Elaine looked at the mess on the floor as well as the cups on the table that hadn’t been cleaned. She let out a chuckle suddenly and said, “I can’t believe that you’re asking your customer to help you clean your shop, Mr. Saldana.”He returned to the front desk and replied, “You’re not my customer now, and I’m not the boss.”In other words, since his shop was closed, she was not his "customer" anymore.Elaine then went forward and helped him clean the cups on the table. Although there were maids in her house, washing a cup or something was not difficult for her.She looked toward Ian, who was cleaning the sink, and asked, “Who were those two men? And did they just call you ‘Young Master Sal
Elaine moved the umbrella to his side a little bit more and said, “Your shoulder and arm are all wet.”Ian squinted and replied, “It’s fine.”Sitting in the car, Elaine watched as he ran over to the driving side and got into the car. “You should’ve waited for me at the restaurant since it’s raining.”She did not understand why he had gone to the extent of coming here to pick her up himself.“Well, I’m the one who wants to buy you dinner,” he replied as he buckled up. “So, I need to show some sincerity.”Elaine looked at him but did not say anything.Both of them walked into a restaurant. Although it was not an up-scaled restaurant, the ambiance was cozy and quiet.The waiter led them to their private room on the second floor and handed the menu to Elaine with a smile on his face.Elaine took the menu and looked at Ian. “Do you have any recommendations?”He looked at her and chuckled. “Well, it depends on what you want to eat, Ms. Xavier.”Elaine then ordered the dishes under
Elaine was shocked after listening to the man’s narration. She did not expect that Ian was used to being an undercover agent at all.Being an undercover agent indeed was a dangerous job. Once they were busted, their life would be in danger. When she first met Ian, he was gentle and exuded a scholarly aura. She thought he was just an ordinary owner of a coffee shop until she saw with her own eyes last night he used a bottle to crack the man's head without any hesitation.The man looked at Elaine and grinned. “Honestly, I really thought you were Ian’s girlfriend. After all, all the people he’s ever brought here were men.”“None of them were women?”“Nope, but I can understand why.” The man threw his arms up and shrugged. Then, he said worriedly, “When he was an undercover agent, he could barely keep himself alive, so he couldn't be bothered with other people. Once people like him fall in love, it's similar to having a weakness that the enemy can exploit.“Nobody could catch him for
Elaine was stunned. She jerked her head up and looked into his deep-set eyes in astonishment.She took a deep breath and asked, “You are messing with me, right, Mr. Saldana?”‘A marriage of convenience? With him? A man who I've only seen a few times and known for less than half a month?’ He fixed his gaze at her and continued in a calm voice. “I’ll give you all the freedom you want after our marriage. You can do whatever you want.” Elaine fell silent for a long while. “Are you talking about a deal? Like a fake marriage?”He lowered his head, and although he did not say anything, Elaine knew what he was trying to say.“Why me?” asked Elaine.Ian retracted his gaze and turned his eyes to look at the wine glass. “You don't want to be bound by marriage, and I don't like other people to tell me what to do in my life. If I have to make a choice, I think you're a very suitable person, Ms. Xavier.”Elaine did not say anything.A marriage of convenience... In other words, they would
Edward’s hands, which were flipping through the newspaper, stopped moving, and he frowned. “Why are you asking this?”As Elaine chewed, she asked bluntly, “If the man I want to marry is his son, what will you do?”Edward was astonished and then slammed the newspaper on the table. “Have you lost your mind!?”Jenna was frightened. She did not understand much about her husband's industry, so she did not interrupt. Still, she was a little surprised that Elaine took the initiative to bring up the word “marriage”.Elaine knew that her father did not like Mr. Saldana, so this marriage was an almost impossible task. Nonetheless, she thought about Ian’s words.‘I really don’t want to get married. If Dad were to arrange for me to marry a man that I’ve never met before or something, I might as well choose Ian over that fate.’“Dad, he said that he would give me 5% of the Synergy Group’s shares if I were to marry him. Are you not interested in that?”Edward’s expression became quite excited
Ian’s voice pulled her back to reality.Elaine frowned, walked up to him, and crossed her arms. “Mr. Saldana, I tried to look past your lack of sincerity, but you actually lied to me?”“I lied?” Ian’s hands, which were holding the hem of the collar and adjusting his shirt, stopped moving, and his eyes were fixed on her face.Elaine looked up at him. “My father said that Mr. Juan Saldana has only one son, and he’s mentally ill. So, Mr. Saldana, are you trying to make a fool out of me?”Ian gave off a soft chuckle and said nothing.“What are you laughing at?” Elaine wondered.He walked aside and poured a cup of coffee calmly and slowly. “I didn’t make a fool out of you.”“Then I... I don’t think you look like a mentally ill person,” she murmured.‘What’s going on here?’Ian took the cup of coffee, walked to the couch, sat down, laughed, and explained calmly, “Juan Saldana does only have one son, but that’s the life that he discloses to the public.”Elaine stared at him and sank
Although Juan had never visited his son, it was uncommon for him to have not abandoned him. The amount of money he paid to the psychiatric hospital every year was worth millions of dollars.Marco had someone to personally serve him in the psychiatric hospital. After all, his father was the well-known Mr. Saldana—the hospital would definitely not treat him badly, and he would surely not suffer while staying there. Marco’s mental illness was congenital. Sometimes, he would act normally, but the onset would send him into a rampage from time to time.There was no other way but to place him in a psychiatric medical center and provide him with quality food, drink, and treatment.Nolan laughed. “What a pity.”“But Mr. Saldana has another son.”“Another son?”Quincy remembered something. “Yes, Mrs. Saldana said that Mr. Saldana was quite a playboy in private back then. He had an extramarital affair with another woman when Mrs. Saldana was pregnant, and the affair went on for six whole ye